Michigan Opera Theatre is stressing that renderings of a high-rise in a recently released RFP are "conceptual," and "not meant to be prescriptive."

A high-rise is envisioned for Detroit Opera House property downtown.

It may never happen and the following represents my general thought as to whether it will: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But Michigan Opera Theatre, which owns the property, is apparently taking a big swing on this one, floating to local developers the idea of a high-rise soaring up to 480 feet into the air about a block away from Comerica Park.

The nonprofit wouldn't answer questions about conceptual designs and heights in the RFP, which is 36 pages and was not publicly released when it announced last month that it was seeking developers for the 0.8-acre surface parking lot next to the Detroit Opera House and the seven-story Detroit Opera House Parking Center at the corner of Broadway and John R streets. I obtained a copy of it Tuesday.

"We are encouraging developers to be creative to design a space that will be compatible with the Detroit Opera House campus and further the city's pedestrian-oriented community environment. Proposed projects may include mixed use, corporate, residential, restaurants, retail, etc. In addition, we are also looking for proposed projects that will be aesthetically compatible with our historic home," MOT CEO Wayne Brown said in an emailed statement.

A spokeswoman would only say that the design in the RFP is "conceptual, and it's not meant to be prescriptive."

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A rendering of a new tower on property owned by Michigan Opera Theatre downtown.

MOT sent the RFP to a small group of developers. I'm told those that received it include Dan Gilbert's Bedrock LLC, the Ilitch family's Olympia Development of Michigan, Farmington Hills-based Hunter Pasteur Homes, Southfield-based Redico LLC, Detroit-based Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services Inc. and others.

We've known since the RFP release that the nonprofit opera company was looking for a developer who could do a high-rise on the site with possible uses that include hotel space, for-sale or for-rent housing, office space, retail and restaurants and underground parking. My colleague Sherri Welch detailed that in late April.

"Obviously we find ourselves in a hot spot in Detroit," MOT Chairman Rick Williams told her at the time.

"We have many needs and projects under way that are expensive," including updates to the historic Detroit Opera House. "To the extent we can work with a developer to help us achieve those things, that's where we want to be."

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Responses to Michigan Opera Theatre's RFP from developers are due next month.

The RFP says the MOT wants to increase revenue through a ground lease of the property and increase the revenue that its 700-space parking deck built in 2005 brings in.
A partnership between Franklin Consulting Co. LLC in Birmingham and Whitehall Real Estate Interests in Novi operating as Franklin Whitehall Advisors is serving as real estate adviser on the project. I messaged Andy Milia with Franklin Whitehall for comment. I emailed Detroit-based Albert Kahn Associates Inc., which worked on the RFP. CEO Alan Cobb declined comment.

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Michigan Opera Theatre last month announced that it had released a request for proposals to a select group of developers to transform its 0.8-acre surface parking lot and seven-story parking deck downtown. This is one concept included in the RFP.

Responses are due by June 10, the document says. It does not specify when a developer will be selected, but "qualified select respondents" will be interviewed next month and in July, followed by a developer selection by September, Williams told Welch last month.